Even though some ladies are opting for natural hair, permed hair is still the in-thing. With permed hair, the “stress” and “struggle” are less, you only need to come and style as desired. However, permed hair can be fragile because of the chemicals at work.
After getting your perm, your hair will need some time to be fully set. Make sure you wait 3 days before getting your hair wet as it will take about that amount of time for the perming chemicals to form new bonds. While your hair is in an adjustment phase, you don’t want to use any sort of hairbrush, but instead, finger-comb your curls or if absolutely necessary, use a wide-tooth comb in the shower with lots of conditioners. Remember, you want to avoid disrupting the curl structure which may result in your perm breaking or being set in an unexpected shape. Follow the tips below for more on how to care for permed hair:
1. Nourish and moisturise your hair
Perming can leave your hair more vulnerable than it was in its virgin state. Hence, it is important to use nourishing, hydrating products that will help restore and rejuvenate your hair. Keep in mind that after a perm, your hair will be drier than it was. Settle for deep conditioning at least twice a week for the first few weeks while your hair is recovering and then once a week from there.
2. Shampoo less
Washing your hair often actually strips your hair of its natural oils. After a perm, you will want to retain a lot of those natural oils as they will keep your hair healthy and hydrated. For this reason, you will want to wash your hair a lot less often to keep it moisturized, healthy, and looking its very best. Use a natural, moisturizing and sulfate-free shampoo for best results.
3. Get the right products
Since you are going from Virgin hair to Chemically treated, you may need to make a few changes to your product assortment. Get a good shampoo and conditioner with curl enhancing formulas. Though you definitely want these to be moisturizing, be sure they are not super-creamy as this can weigh down your hair, causing your curls to change shape. In addition to a good curly shampoo, you will want to also clear your hair of excess product with a clarifying shampoo once a month to do a complete hair and scalp cleanse. Avoid any products that are made with silicone, alcohol or Sodium lauryl/ laureth sulfate (SLS). Silicones weigh down on your hair, leaving it greasy and heavy. Alcohol dries your hair out leaving it brittle and frizzy and SLS deplete the naturally produced sebum that moisturizes your hair.
4. Dry your hair correctly
For optimal results, it’s important to make sure not to towel-dry your hair as it can be quite abrasive on your hair shaft which will start to weaken your hair overall. Instead, after combing and detangling your hair with a wide-tooth comb, apply your leave-in and styling products and let it air dry if possible.
5. Trim regulary
Regularly removing damaged ends will help keep your hair looking and feeling healthy. Even if you want your hair to grow long, we recommend getting trims every month and a half to two months depending on how fast your hair grows.
6. Avoid heat styling
As much as possible, you want to avoid heat styling so instead of blow-drying, air dry your hair. If you absolutely must blow-dry your hair, do so on low heat and be sure to attach a diffuser – this helps disperse the heat instead of having it concentrated on one area. Avoid straightening tools such as flat irons as it could cause split ends to appear faster than if your hair was un-permed.